After pricing out hive kits and such, I decided with my woodworking abilities I could easily build my own hives. Off to Menards, Number One Son in tow and we get back home with a pile of pine. Boxes, piece of cake. Plan everything out and off we go. Everything's slick as can be and I saved half of my cost on the supers. Here's a pic of Ben tacking the corners.

Started on Frames today. Bought select pine boards and we spent about two hours dinking around to cut out around 40 top bars for Dadant style frames. Came in for lunch and thought I'd check on the price of frames just to make myself feel better about how much I am saving by making them myself. Oops. A case of 50 frames would cost me about $2 LESS than the raw materials I need for making 50 frames. Not to mention the intensive labor to one-off these buggers. Good thing I only bought enough wood to make the first 20 frames!

.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I pay 0.68 for frames for betterbee hope you have a good time cuting frames

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Logged

"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may remember,involve me and I'll understand" Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways." John F. KennedyFranklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

+1 that!!! That's the primary point. A great morning spent learning to respect the table saw and some great bonding. He's 13 and still can't get enough time with his dad, I'm going to ride that train as long as possible!

BTW, just ordered a case of frames... We've got 40 top bars already made so if we decide to try a TBH, we're partway there. :-D :-D :-D